At most a band has about 5 years of relevance before they become a nostalgia act. Most of these bands had about 3-4 great albums with the rest being meh, but that’s what they live on.
It's possible to live on a single hit, which is amazing. Anyone with 3-4 great albums is a hall of famer.
Good point. I certainly think that is the case. Some have had longer windows of relevance, such as The Who and Rolling Stones.